Prince Gong
Independently of his various offices, Prince Kung, as his title denotes, is a member of the highest order of Chinese nobility; an expression which, to prevent misconception, we must beg our readers' permission to explain. There have been from the most ancient times in China five degrees of honour, to which men whose services have been eminent may attain; the titles vesting, as we should say, in remainder to their heirs male. The latter, however, cannot succeed without revival of their patent, and even then, as a rule, the title they succeed to is one degree less honourable than that of their predecessor ; so that were the usage in vogue with us a dukedom would dwindle to a baronetcy in five generations.
The Manchu family, which rules the country, or to speak more correctly those of the stock who are within a certain degree of the Imperial line, have no less than eighteen orders of nobility, liable, however, like the old system spoken of above, to gradual extinction, except in a few particular instances where the patent ensures the title in perpetuity.
Prince Kung received such a patent in 1865.Relevante Bilder
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Aisin GioroAisin Gioro ist der Familienname der Herrscher der Späteren Jin-Dynastie und danach der kaiserlichen Sippe der Mandschu-Kaiser der Qing-Dynastie. Das Haus der Aisin Gioro herrschte in China von 1644 bis zur Xinhai-Revolution von 1911/12. Aisin hat im Mandschurischen die Bedeutung Gold und „gioro“ bezeichnet den Stammsitz im heutigen Yilan in Heilongjiang. Nach der Sitte der Mandschu werden Familien nach ihrem hala (哈拉) benannt und durch den mukūn (穆昆) genauer bezeichnet. Der hala ist dabei der übergeordnete Familien-/Clan-Name und der mukūn eine stärker unterteilte Klassifizierung, die sich meist auf einzelne Kleinfamilien bezieht. Im vorliegenden Fall ist aisin der „mukūn“ und gioro der „hala“. Weitere Gruppen des Gioro-Clans sind Irgen Gioro, Susu Gioro (舒舒覺羅) und Sirin Gioro (西林覺羅). .. weiterlesen